The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) Review

The Hunchback of Notre Dame


Release Date: 12th September 1996 - Australia


Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures (presents)
Walt Disney Feature Animation

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 91 minutes


Budget: $100,000,000

Box Office Gross: $325,338,851 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary

In 15th-century Paris, a deformed bellringer named Quasimodo longs to leave the Cathedral bell tower, where his cruel caretaker, Judge Claude Frollo, the Minister of Justice, has hidden him from the outside world while raising him as part of his penance.

Against the wishes of his master to never leave his sanctuary, Quasimodo sneaks out to attend the Festival of Fools and meets the beautiful gypsy, Esmeralda, and the soldier Phoebus. Frollo's ruthlessness meant that the three opposed his oppression and attempts to rid the Court of Miracles, the home of the gypsies. Quasimodo must defend Esmeralda and Notre Dame Cathedral from the man who raised him.

Voice Cast
Tom Hulce - Quasimodo
Demi Moore - Esmeralda
Heidi Mollenhauer - Esmeralda (singing voice)

Tony Jay - Judge Claude Frollo

Jason Alexander - Hugo
Charles Kimbrough - Victor
Mary Wickes - Laverne

Jane Withers - Additional Laverne Dialogue

Paul Kandel - Clopin
Kevin Kline - Captain Phoebus
David Odgen Stiers -

Archdeacon
Corey Burton - Brutish Guard/Additional Voices
Bill Fagerbakke - Oafish Guard
Mary Kay Bergman -

Quasimodo's Mother/
Additional Voices

Frank Welker - Djali/Baby Bird
Jim Cummings - Gypsies/

Guards

Crew
Directors - Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale
Based on the Novel - Victor Hugo
Animation Story/Screenplay - Tab Murphy
Story - Kevin Harkey, Ed Gombert, Brenda Chapman,
Jeff Snow, Jim Capobianco, Denis Rich, Burny Mattinson,

John Sanford, Kelly Wightman, James Fujii, Floyd Norman,

Francis Glebas, Kirk Hanson and Christine Blum
Story/Sequence Directors: Paris - Gaetan &
Paul Brizzi
Story/Character Designers/Visual Development -
Geefwee Boedoe and Sue C. Nichols
Animation Screenplay - Irene Mecchi,
Bob Tzudiker, Noni White and Jonathan Roberts
Additional Screenplay Material/Artistic

Supervisor: Story/Supervising Animator:

"Laverne" - Will Finn

Producer - Don Hahn
Co-Producer - Roy Conli

Casting Director - Ruth Lambert

Art Director - David Goetz

Artistic Coordinator - Randy Fullmer

Character Designer/Visual Development/
Supervising Animator: "Quasimodo" -

James Baxter
Character Designer/Visual Development/
Supervising Animator: "Esmeralda" -

Tony Fucile
Character Designer/Visual Development/
Artistic Supervisor: Background - Lisa Keene
Character Designers/Visual Development -
Geefwee Boedoe, Marek Buchwald,

Peter DeSeve, Thom Enriquez, Vance Gerry,

Darek Gogol, Joe Grant, Rick Maki,

Jean Gillmore, Sue C. Nichols and

Rowland B. Wilson
Character Designer/Visual Development/

Artistic Supervisor: Layout - Ed Ghertner
Character Designer/Visual Development/

Animator: "Esmeralda" - Anne Marie Bardwell
Character Designer/Visual Development/

Animator: "Quasimodo" - Shawn Keller
Character Designer/Visual Development/
Rough Inbetweener - Joseph C. Moshier

Artistic Supervisor: Layout, Paris Unit - Daniel St. Pierre

Production Manager - Patty Hicks

Production Manager: Paris Unit - Jean-Luc Florinda

Supervising Animator: "Frollo" - Kathy Zielinski
Supervising Animator: "Phoebus" - Russ Edmonds
Supervising Animator: "Clopin" - Michael Surrey
Supervising Animator: "Victor" and "Hugo" -
David Pruiksma
Supervising Animator: "Djali" - Ron Husband

Artistic Supervisor: Clean-Up - Vera Pacheco

Artistic Supervisor: Visual Effects - Christopher Jenkins

Additional Visual Effects Unit Supervisors:

Additional Visual Effects Animation -

Dave Bossert, Mauro Maressa and

Dave Tidgwell

Artistic Supervisor: Computer Graphics Imagery -

Kiran Bhakta Joshi
Songs: Music/Original Score/

Songs Producer and Arranger/Score

Producer - Alan Menken
Songs: Lyrics/Songs Producer/Latin Lyrics

Adaptation - Stephen Schwartz
Editor - Ellen Keneshea

Associate Film Editor - John K. Carr

Supervising Sound Editors - Lon Bender

and Larry Kemp

Re-Recording Mixers - Mel Metcalfe,

Terry Porter and Dean A. Zupancic

Foley Artists - John Roesch and

Hilda Hodges

Executive Music Producer - Chris Montan

Vocal Arrangements/Conductor -

David Friedman

Music Recordist and Mixer - Bruce Botnick

Review

Like most people, I was appalled by the news of the near-destruction of Notre Dame Cathedral, which caught fire due to a short circuit. I decided to look back at THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, by which I mean the Disney animated version, in the wake of this devastation. I have been waiting to revisit a childhood classic I haven't seen in a long time. I never read the book or watched any previous film adaptations. As a result, HUNCHBACK is considered one of Disney's darker films. Because the movie contains adult themes such as religion, lust, and genocide, I believe it would be a surprise for anyone watching this Disney film.

HUNCHBACK could have been aimed entirely at adults if it weren't for the gargoyles, particularly the one voiced by Jason Alexander, who provided comic relief. However, creating secondary characters as second bananas to the main character isn't a good idea for Disney. It is not appropriate because it creates a tonal shift. These secondary characters aren't significant to the plot. What's important is the main character, Quasimodo, who yearns to be accepted by mainstream society and escape confinement within Notre Dame's walls. Another main character I praise is the main villain, Judge Claude Frollo. Frollo is a particularly frightening villain who seeks to destroy the gypsies. Only the hero Quasimodo can stop Frollo from carrying out his plans for damnation. We haven't seen a villain as menacing as Scar in The Lion King.

The animation is beautiful, and the backgrounds depict 15th-century Paris, including the entire Notre Dame Cathedral. Most of Alan Menken's songs, including "Hellfire," "God Help the Outcasts," and "Out There," are good and fit effectively into the score of an animated musical like HUNCHBACK. The voice-overs match the live-action performances, with superb work from Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Kevin Kline, and Tony Jay. They all lent their voices to HUNCHBACK, creating a rich, complex cast of characters.

Not exactly the best Disney animation, but HUNCHBACK still comes close to The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast by high standards. If younger viewers have questions about the mature content, they should watch it with a parent or guardian. So, exercise viewer discretion, everyone.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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